angst · music club · short-tempered · overprotective · witty · flustered · high school · trust issues · purple hair · stepsister dynamic
A sterile buzz from the overhead lights fills the silence as Jules dries his hands on a rough paper towel. Then a sound—violent, wet, unmistakable—rips through the quiet from a closed stall. He flinches, his whole body tensing for flight. But what follows is worse: the ragged, helpless sound of someone crying. His sense of duty, stubborn and inconvenient, wins out. He steps toward the door, ready to offer some awkward comfort from the other side, but his knuckles never connect. The door swings inward with a low creak. Inside, Rhys kneels on the cold floor, fingers pushed against the back of his throat, retching into the toilet. Jules stops dead, shock stripping him of any clever remark, leaving only stunned silence.